Bilić family name is one of the most frequent surnames among Croats, but it is not uncomon among other South Slavic nations.

According to the 2001 census, there are more than five thousand bearers of that surname in Croatia. To that number needs to be added bearers from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia.

Thanks to a devoted genealogist Đuro Bilić, who spent more than fifteen years in researching origins of the Bilić surname, this family name is arguably one of the most researched Croatian surnames.

From his research, which has been published in a two volume book, we know that there are about twenty settlements in Croatia and Bosnia that bear the name Bilić (of which only three were recorded prior to the penetration of Ottoman Empire to the Balkans), and that there are five areas where Bilić family name is considered to be deeply rooted. Today, in more than six hundred cities, towns and villages reside at least one person with that last name.

All those whose share this surname, and are interested in genealogy research, should consult the book “Bilići – građa za povijest, etnologiju i genealogiju” authored by Đuro Bilić and published as a private edition in Zagreb, 2000.

Image: Nevit Dilmen, Wikimedia Commons